One group, calling themselves the “Power Pack,” finally hit big when they collectively won a $731 million Powerball jackpot.
You’ve likely heard of Frank Sinatra’s “Rat Pack” or are even marginally familiar with the futuristic design of a “jet pack.” But have you heard about the “Power Pack?” If it vaguely sounds familiar to you, and you live in Maryland, you might be remembering a recent Powerball-winning news headline. There was $731 million up for grabs in this particular drawing. And it was the “Power Pack” who walked away with the cash.
Who Is the “Power Pack,” Anyway?
A group of anonymous individuals came forward to collect this $731 million Powerball jackpot, and they called themselves the “Power Pack.” There was some confusion initially, as the New York Times reported, because there were rumors that a couple in Lonaconing was behind the winning. However, those claims were disproven as the actual winners wrote a letter to the news publication, verifying that their group was behind the “Power Pack” and, in fact, the true winners of this massive jackpot.
It was a single Quick-Pick ticket that the "Power Pack" had purchased that day. And it was the only ticket this group of unknown winners purchased for that Powerball drawing. As part of a statement provided to Powerball officials, the “Power Pack” did express incredible enthusiasm and disbelief in winning. One of the members of the group reported that they didn’t believe it was real and went on to report to work that morning, as usual.
In addition to being anonymous, the residences of the people behind the “Power Pack” are also unknown. About the only thing that is known is where the winning ticket was purchased. And the group did choose to take the Powerball jackpot as a lump sum, which translated to roughly $366 million after taxes. Even if there were several of them, there would be plenty of take-home jackpot cash to go around between them.
Coney Market Wasn’t Shy
While the individuals behind the “Power Pack” remained unknown, the Maryland venue responsible for selling the winning ticket sure made plenty of news headlines. As a result, Coney Market became somewhat of a local hub for attention for quite some time. And the store’s owner, Richard Ravenscroft, wasn’t shy about posing with his staff to collect the $100,000 check for having sold the massive Powerball jackpot-winning ticket.
Anonymous Powerball Claiming Is More Popular Now
More and more states are making provisional allowances for Powerball winners to come forward anonymously to collect their prizes. Instead of publicizing the personal details, these winners are selecting new pseudo names or fun group titles to represent themselves anonymously. And in many other instances, winners are establishing trusts as designations for their funds and fund management, allowing them to name the trust as the official winner during the claiming process.
Remaining anonymous has plenty of advantages. Powerball winners can quickly become targets of scammers out there. Some stories have already surfaced of past winners being swindled out of thousands or more as victims of scam artists.
Long lost family and distant friends, all of a sudden, begin to surface, interested in any handouts these winners are willing to offer. And in some of the more extreme stories, dangerous scenarios ensued for Powerball winners who were public about their cash. So as excited as you might be about winning a Powerball jackpot, remaining publicly unknown might just be the best way to go.
When it’s your turn to win the Powerball jackpot, remember the “Power Pack.” You might be inspired to come forward anonymously yourself. And you might even decide to come up with a fun and witty title for yourself, your designated trust, or your group.